Page 3

CHAPTER 3

DELANEY

I pushed open the door to the park office and inhaled the now familiar scent of dampness and dust. Maybe if I opened all the windows, it would help air the place out. Stopping at the desk, I emptied my arms of all the supplies I’d brought with me. I’d sorted through the supply closet the day before and thrown out everything that was dried up, broken, or irrelevant. That didn’t leave me with much, but I was going to make the best of it.

Camp started on Monday and based on the curriculum Ranger Rhonda had left, I had my work cut out for me. Her programming was full of worksheets and videos that looked like they’d been produced decades ago. If I wanted a shot at a permanent placement next year, I couldn’t just babysit a bunch of bored kids with outdated worksheets. It was time to freshen things up, whether District Park Ranger Grump wanted to or not.

I got started in the classroom. The posters had been hanging on the walls for so long that they left marks when I removed them. I replaced them with some updated images I’d put together during a project at school. Immediately, the room felt lighter. Next, I pulled on some rubber gloves and started scrubbing years of dust and grime from the tables. The scent of lemon cleaner filled the air as I danced around the room with my earbuds in, shaking my butt to my favorite playlist I had stored on my phone.

The sound of someone knocking rose above the music. I yanked my earbuds out and turned, hoping it was just the wind that had knocked something over, but my luck had never run that good. Jace filled the doorway, his brows drawn together, silently judging me.

“Sorry. I didn’t hear you come in.” I fumbled with my phone, trying to silence the lyrics to “Baby Got Back” drifting from my earbuds.

“What’s all this?” The corners of his mouth turned down as his gaze swept around the room.

“I’m just getting a head start for Monday.” The music finally died, though Sir Mix-A-Lot’s voice still bounced around in my head.

He stepped into the classroom, his boots heavy on the wood floor. “You changed out the posters.”

“I like it.” A slim girl with two long, dark braids came in behind him.

“You took down the map of the trails,” the boy next to her said. “Dad, she needs to put that back, right?”

Jace put his hand on the boy’s shoulder. “We’ll talk about that later, Eli. Right now, meet Miss Delaney. She’s taking over for Ranger Rhonda this summer. This is my son, Eli, and my daughter, Wren.”

“Um, hi.” I offered my friendliest smile. “Your dad said you’ll be participating in camp. Is there anything you want to learn more about?”

Wren’s forehead creased and her eyes slightly narrowed like she was sizing me up to see if I was worthy of her attention. “Like what?”

“Like whatever you want. This is your camp, so I want to make sure we cover things you’re interested in.” I intentionally avoided making eye contact with Jace though I could feel the heat of his gaze like I was standing next to one of those super powerful heat lamps.

“Wren just likes to draw,” Eli said. “Can we try fly fishing? Dad keeps saying he’ll teach me how to tie a fly, but he never has time.”

“Ranger Rhonda has the programming set for the entire summer,” Jace said. “All you need to do is follow the plan.”

If he were any more rigid, he’d probably turn into one of the giant, immovable boulders that sat out in front of the park office. But I’d noticed how Wren sank back into herself when her brother dismissed her love of art. If Jace Ramsey wanted someone who would have been content to keep the status quo, he should have hired a carbon copy of Ranger Rhonda. I was more interested in inspiring a love of nature in the kids I’d be working with than sticking to some outdated programming.

I took a few steps toward Wren. “Have you ever tried nature journaling?”

She looked up at me, her green eyes wide. “What’s that?”

“It’s writing stuff down in a notebook while you walk around the park,” Eli said. He’d moved across the room to examine the new posters I’d hung up.

“That’s one style,” I said. “But you can also document what you see by drawing or painting. One of the most powerful ways to connect with nature is just by observing it and capturing what you see.”

“Rhonda has a whole week dedicated to journaling.” Jace’s eyes narrowed.

“She never told us we could draw.” Wren’s voice was quiet but held a tiny sliver of hope.

“Drawing is one of the best ways to journal.” I moved toward the desk where I’d set down a whole bin of items I’d brought with me. My own nature journal was buried somewhere inside. I wasn’t much of an artist, but I enjoyed sketching. “Take a look at this. It’s from some of the hikes I did while I was in school. The parks are in upstate New York, so the flowers and foliage are different, but this will give you an idea of what I mean.”

Wren slowly flipped through the pages. “Look, Dad. Miss Delaney can draw even better than me.”

Jace barely glanced down though the tension in his jaw let up a little. “Don’t make too many changes. The kids won’t like it, and I’ll hear all about it from their parents.”

Feeling like I’d just won our first battle of wills, my chest expanded. “I’ll stick to the programming as much as I can.”

He turned and met my gaze. The challenge in his eyes was clear. Either stick to the plan or… Or what? Would he fire me? Kick me out and try to run the camp on his own all summer long?

“Come on. We need to grab the signposts so we can finish marking the new trail before camp starts on Monday.” Jace motioned for his kids to follow him.

“Finally.” Eli grinned and beat his dad through the doorway.

Jace paused like he forgot to mention something. “I assume you got settled okay at the cabin?”

“Yes. I think I’ll be comfortable there this summer.” It was a little rustic and I’d had to relocate a family of robins who’d built their nest in the ancient woodburning stove, but it would be more than adequate for a few months.

“Let me know if you end up needing anything. A crew is supposed to be coming in next week to reinforce the bridge that goes over the creek in front of the place.”

“I’m sure I’ll be fine.” As long as we stayed out of each other’s way. I didn’t add that part. Seemed like it was a given.

“Then I’ll see you Monday.” He tapped his fingers on the doorframe then passed through it. Wren handed me the journal and followed her dad.

At least I got a sense of what his kids were like before the first day of camp. The more I got to know Jace Ramsey, the more curious I was about him. And there still hadn’t been any mention of a wife or mom.

I turned back to wiping down tables but decided to leave the music off for now. The look on Wren’s face when I showed her my journal wouldn’t leave me alone. The last thing I needed was to get emotionally involved with my boss’s kid, but I saw something in her that I recognized. I knew what it felt like to be overlooked. It had taken me years to come into my own and decide I was okay not following in the footsteps of my overachieving siblings.

Screw Jace Ramsey and his directive to stick with the plan. Even though I only had a summer in Big Wood, it was enough time to make a difference.